Center for Sustainable Community Coop Tour Aug. 1

Center for Sustainable Community (in Stelle, IL) is hosting a coop tour on August 1. It includes a tour of their land, including the chicken co-op.

CSC is an intentional community (created about 30 years ago) by a group of Rogers Park residents. About 2+ hours south of Chicago, it is literally in the middle of “nowhere” — meaning corn and soybean fields — an oasis of communal living. Midwest Permaculture is based there, too.

Ten Stelle families established the Chicken Co-op four years ago on the CSC property by written agreement with CSC. The objective was to illustrate the production of chickens for meat and eggs at cost. During the first two years of operation, the co-op raised and harvested two 100-member Rock-Cross rooster flocks, which were fed certified-organic grain blends and grazed, using home-made chicken tractors. Currently, seven families manage a mixed-breed laying flock of 30 hens (Buff Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds) and four roosters. Eggs are shared at cost among co-op families who sell regularly to families in Stelle at a slightly higher cost. The tour will highlight the co-op’s experiences, with attention to the features of the current flock and the coop, which is fitted with solar lights, rain water catchments, and AC power.

Topics on the Chicken Cooperative Tour:

How the co-op works: members, duties, finances, etc

Breed selections

Feeding options

Seasonal care

Medical Care of the flock

Following an optional tour of Stelle at 10:30 AM, three CSC residents will do “show and tell” about three activities on the land:

the chicken co-op, presented by Ed Homeier;

the orchard, presented by Argena Marie;

and the community garden, presented by George Blackman.

The presentation will be from 1:00 until 4:30. Price for the workshop is $35, and you can sign up and see more details by going to the website. A nutritious lunch, featuring locally grown and organic foods, will be available at noon at an additional cost of $10.